Indian-administered Kashmir is heading to the polls in its first local elections since India's nationalist Hindu government stripped the Muslim-majority region of its semi-autonomous status. DW's Adil Bhat is in the city of Srinagar to gauge the mood.
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00:00Basirat is determined to exercise her democratic right.
00:03She is 28 years old but will be casting her vote for the very first time.
00:09She lives in Jammu and Kashmir's biggest city,
00:12Shrinagar, where heavy security is part of everyday life.
00:19Basirat and her family boycotted past elections to protest India's heavy-handed rule, she tells us.
00:28But now she is supporting Kashmir's National Conference,
00:32one of the main regional political parties here, hoping for change.
00:38Our voices have been silenced here and we can't speak freely.
00:41Anyone who speaks out gets arrested and their career and life are ruined.
00:46The state has taken away our voice, but through voting, we want to make ourselves heard.
00:51Now, we'll use our vote as a form of protest to fight for our democratic rights.
00:56We won't let our vote go to waste anymore.
01:00At this election rally, Basirat is not the only one expressing her anger
01:04about the scrapping of Kashmir's semi-autonomous status
01:08by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.
01:13It has been under Delhi's control ever since.
01:17Although it is not on the ballot, the restoration of statehood
01:22and autonomy is at the heart of this election.
01:25And Salman Sagar, one of the candidates of the National Conference party,
01:29is promising to lead the effort.
01:33Our vision is development. Our vision is addressing unemployment.
01:37But at the same time, our prime focus will be to restore what has been taken from us,
01:42that is the special status.
01:45Every Kashmiri is keeping an eye on restoring their lost rights.
01:49They see this election as an investment for their future generations.
01:54The divided Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan,
02:00and the scene of an armed insurgency since the late 1980s.
02:05It has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.
02:10Lately, there has again been a significant rise in militancy, which India blames on Pakistan.
02:18Yet, Prime Minister Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist BJP
02:22sees this year's high voter turnout as proof of a thriving democracy.
02:28Ejaz Hussain is the poster boy of the BJP in Srinagar,
02:32but his rallies have attracted only modest crowds.
02:35In this Muslim-majority region, most people view the BJP as party for Hindus only,
02:42and blame it for the loss of Kashmir's autonomy.
02:45But Hussain disagrees.
02:47The situation in Kashmir is much better now.
02:51You can see election campaigns happening without fear.
02:54In the past, no one was willing to hold rallies like this.
02:57But thanks to Modi, peace has been restored.
03:00Schools are open, businesses are thriving, and tourists are visiting in large numbers.
03:07Here in downtown Srinagar, which has been at the heart of the insurgency against Indian rule,
03:14Basirat is eagerly anticipating the outcome of her first ever vote.
03:20She grew up here, and she wants to stay here.
03:27After the election, we want to see peace return to Kashmir.
03:30We want to see Kashmiri youth get employed and flourish,
03:34have better careers, and move forward in life.
03:39At home, she joins her family in watching the election coverage.
03:44She hopes that her first vote will be a small step in ending decades-long suppression
03:50and give back a voice to Kashmiris who, she says, have too long been silenced.